Chairman's Letter to Members

Dear Members,

Happy Chinese New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a great Spring Festival with family and friends and are now looking forward to a prosperous Year of the Ox.

Our AustCham Shanghai community certainly farewelled 2020 and the Year of the Rat in true Aussie style, with an outstanding Christmas lunch event at The Westin Bund Centre, attended by over 250 people. I thought it was simply exceptional to see the broader community coming together to reconnect, share stories, support, and just have some good old-fashioned fun on the dance floor. Thank you again to our Chamber staff, who marshalled an industrious Christmas Elf Army to ensure we all had a great time. And of course, congratulations again to Ariane Sainsbury, who was named the inaugural AustCham Shanghai Community Member of the Year – a worthy winner, and long-standing pillar of our Community.

Embracing Change

I am delighted to formally welcome Mr Tony Zhang to the Board of Directors for AustCham Shanghai. Tony brings a wealth of China experience to the Board and a specific interest in advancing our local government relations capabilities and objectives. I would like to thank all those members who nominated or registered their interest for the ‘casual’ vacancy and encourage them to nominate for the formal Election at the upcoming AGM, where members will again decide the new composition of the Board by ballot. Thank you also to our Nominations Committee, who oversaw a thorough and transparent process that has greatly enhanced our Board’s overall diversity, and commitment to operate with transparency and inclusion.

On behalf of the Board and broader membership, I would like to offer my thanks and gratitude to Jim Mitsonis who resigned his position on the Board, and steps down in February. Jim took on the additional responsibility as Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, significantly advancing our governance and financial management frameworks. Jim brought a unique skillset and wealth of knowledge and experience to the Board, and we are currently in active discussions with individuals that could bring a similar skillset to the Board and our Audit & Risk Committee. I look forward to also announcing that appointment in the coming weeks.

As a final comment on Board composition and appointments, the dates for our mid-year AGM and election will be finalised soon. We have a wonderfully diverse and talented community, and I personally would love to see members maximise their opportunity to shape the Chambers future, through an engaged election with high level of participation. You are welcome to contact me or other Board members directly, if you would like to find out more about the role, responsibilities and rewards… get involved, it’s your Chamber!

Steadfast in our Mission

Although 2021 has brought a distinct sense of optimism amongst the broader business community, many of our members and friends are still facing significant challenges, to which the Chamber is evolving at speed to support.

Following our members workshop in August, which informed the Board Strategy Day in October, Bede and the team have worked hard to recalibrate our strategy to meet the challenges of the future. This means continuing our support of Australian businesses in and entering China and an increasing focus on local networks through government relations, modern communications, and collaborations with key industry partners. With members' ongoing support, we are in a strong position to rebound from a difficult 2020. We are also extremely cognisant that now, more than ever, a strong, active, and responsive Chamber is critical to maintaining healthy China-Australia commercial relations.

If you would like to find out more or help activate and deliver on our key strategic priorities, please feel free to reach out to Bede directly – we would genuinely appreciate your input, ideas, feedback, and support.

As a general comment on our overall position as we enter 2021 - we are in a good financial position, with a clear direction, strong member engagement and deeper collaboration with our strategic partners. As always, there is a great deal to do and many challenges ahead, but we are feeling cautiously optimistic about the future for our collective business interests in China.

Stronger Together

Members asked and we committed to facilitate greater collaboration with our strategic partners and extended Australian business communities across the region. On this front we have made great progress. We have deepened our partnerships with key strategic partners such as: AustCham Beijing, AustCham Hong Kong, the Australia China Business Council, Advance, and with Austrade. We have already started to deliver joint events and projects and will continue to do so for the benefit of our collective memberships.

We encourage you all to explore the value available through our extended network. If you would like introductions to the key people in these organisations, are travelling to those locations, or just want to find out more – get in touch with the Chamber team who will provide a personal introduction and get things moving for you.

I look forward to seeing you all around the community and wish you a prosperous start to 2021 in the meantime!

Regards,